中国山水诗英译中的“以物观物”与“以我观物”——以王维《鹿柴》英译为例

“Object-oriented Viewpoint” and “Perceiver-oriented Perspective” in the English Translations of Chinese Landscape Poetry:The Case of Wang Wei's “Lu Zhai”

本文以中国传统哲学和美学中关于"以物观物"与"以我观物"方式的区分为依据,以已有的对中国山水诗创作和翻译中的观物方式的认识为参照,以王维《鹿柴》的各种英译为实例,对中国山水诗英译中的不同的观物方式及其审美效果予以探讨。认为,中国山水诗英译中,有些译者主要采用或强或弱的"以物观物"的方式理解和转换原诗,使译诗保留甚至超越了原诗的诗性和神韵,能对拥有东方文化情怀的读者产生理想的审美效果;有些译者则主要采用或强或弱的"以我观物"的方式翻译原诗,使译诗偏离甚至破坏了原诗的诗性和神韵,能对一般西方读者产生较好的审美效果。

Based on the dichotomy between object-and perceiver-oriented modes of perception in traditional Chinese philosophy and aesthetics,using existing findings regarding the modes of perception in the composition and translation of Chinese landscape poetry,and taking different translations of Wang Wei’s“Lu Zhai”as examples,this study explores the manners of perception and their aesthetic effects in the English translations of Chinese landscape poetry.It demonstrates that in their understanding and transformation of the poems,some translators mainly adopt a more or less object-oriented mode of perception,producing translations close in meaning and style to the original poem and suitable for readers with a Chinese culture background,whereas others chiefly appeal to a more or less perceiver-oriented style of perception,creating target texts deviating from the source text in meaning and style and catering to the taste of general Western readers.